24/10/2025
Every year on 24 October, we observe World Polio Day to raise awareness of the importance of polio vaccination. Poliomyelitis, or polio, is a life-threatening but vaccine-preventable disease that mainly affects children under the age of five years. The virus attacks the nervous system and can cause permanent paralysis.
How polio spreads:
• Direct person-to-person contact
• Contaminated food or water
• Unwashed hands
• Swimming in contaminated water
• Coughing or sneezing
• Touching contaminated surfaces
Thanks to global vaccination efforts, polio is close to eradication. It could soon become the second human disease ever eliminated, after smallpox. Only two countries, namely, Afghanistan and Pakistan, remain polio-endemic. While there is no cure for polio, it can be prevented through vaccination. A person infected with the poliovirus can spread it to others before and up to two weeks after symptoms appear. In most cases, symptoms resemble mild flu or intestinal illness.
Common symptoms of polio include:
• High fever
• Sore throat
• Headache, vomiting, and stomach pain
• Stiffness in the neck, back, legs, or arms
• Muscle spasms and fatigue
• Sensitivity to light or touch
• Diarrhoea or constipation
• Seizures (in severe cases)
Healthcare professionals can diagnose polio through tests on throat swabs, blood, stool, or cerebrospinal fluid. Let’s unite to make polio history. Learn how you can help by visiting https://www.endpolio.org/
If you or your child has missed any vaccines, you can access the Amayeza Info catch-up schedule to see which vaccines are due and when. Visithttps://www.amayeza-info.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/9.-Catch-up-schedule-2025.pdf for more information.
Sources:
1. Immunisation Catch-up Schedule 2025, Amayeza Info Services, 2.-2025-Childhood-vaccine-scheduleN.pdf
2. World Polio Day, WHO, https://www.who.int/europe/campaigns/world-polio-day
3. End Polio, Rotary, https://www.endpolio.org/world-polio-day-resources